Shift help!

[rdorman]

I will give that a try this weekend and let you know. Thanks for the continued help.

[niles]

Seems like you hve eliminated a dragging clutch.
Next candidate: linkage
Are you using the right lub for a TL.
Talk to McKee
gn

[brizz]

linkage adjustment.... I had a linkage problem and I called David about it here"s how to adjust on the shifter body you will see a hole approx 1/4 " insert a drill bit or an allen wrench all the way through it will fit into a notch on the other side of the body be sure to use the tightest fitting bit in the hole!! take the control arms loose at the thread end, and be VERY EXACT 1 TURN OFF IS BAD whe I did this it made a world of differance.... good luck

[rdorman]

Could you elaborate a bit on the linkage adjustment? What gear should the car be in to insert the bit? How do I determine that the levers on the transmission itself are in the proper possition so that I can adjust the linkage length?

I will try to do this and the jack up the car test this weekend. I used to have a toploader in my '67 mustang and you could throw it through the gears! As fast as this car is I am spending as much time in the 1-2 shift as it spends in 1 or 2! (OK, slight exaggeration!)

[mr0077]

rdorman,
You can verify the trans is in neutral (in case the arms move while you're working on it) by moving the two front arms to the middle detent (each has three positions, the middle position is neutral). The rear arm is the reverse arm, but I can't remember which direction is neutral. Note the position of the arms before you take the rods off, 'cause they must be fairly close if you are able to shift trough the gears.
Put the trans in neutral, and try to push the 1/4" rod (drill bit, e.g.) through the hole. If it doesn't go, pull the clips on the transmission shift arms, and "wiggle" the shifter arms (on the bottom of the shifter) until the 1/4" rod goes through (this may all be easier to say than do, depending on how much clearance you have between the shifter and the tunnel/crossmembers, etc.). Once the rod is in place, adjust the rods as described, so the end of the shift rods slip into the trans. shift arm bushings with no difficulty or movement of the arms on the shifter or trans. Tighten the adjuster lock nuts and you're done.
By the way, a real insidious problem is a loose nut on one or more of the shifter arms on the trans...make sure the nuts holding the arms on are tight before you do anything, that can cause all sorts of grief!
Good luck, let us know how it comes out!

[Jerry Cowing]

Hi Guys,

I believe I have my clutch problem solved. My Unique came with a 3/4" master and So. Auto put a 1" slave on my Bell housing. After talking to Wilwood and a bunch of other folks, I was convinced that the master should be no more than an 1/8"smaller than the slave and mine was a 1/4" smaller. If you go with an equal size master and slave, the peddle effort will be too high.

This weekend my Wilwood 7/8" master came in and, after installing it, my clutch now works flawlessly. I obviously had a mismatched master and slave cylinder and the 3/4" master wasn't providing enough fluid to the slave to get full slave travel. Now when the wheels are off the ground and the clutch is depressed, the tires don't rotate and I can reach back and turn them by hand. It goes into reverse now without grinding or having to shut the engine off first.

[rdorman]

Glad to here it. I still have to do the off the ground test and adjust the shifter. Hopefully this weekend.

Stick with me guys!

[Bruce Botti]

Hello to All,
I just wanted to share a problem that I had with a "Unique" clutch. I have the standard Unique setup with a Southern Auto 406 and Toploader. It also has the blowshield and Aluminum flywheel from Southern Auto.

When I first got it running, it shifted smoothly into all gears. The 4th time that I took it around the block, I left it outside to cool down. When I went to go around again, it would not shift into 1st or reverse. I started it in first gear and brought it into the garage. I checked for leaks, re-bled the slave, and adjusted the slave to bellhousing rod. Still nothing. I found this thread and tried all the tricks in here. Still nothing. I adjusted the slave rod again, far beyond where I would normally. Still grinds. Then, I took out the rear top bolt that holds in the clutch pedal to allow me to get much more pedal travel. I had the pedal and the slave cylinder adjusted all the way out to where you could barely lift your foot up to hit the pedal. It still ground. Then, I thought I would take it up the road regardless. I put it in reverse to start it, and it flew backwards. Luckily, I am the conservative type so I had already made sure that there was nothing behind me. I decided to put it back in the garage by starting it in first. It did not lurch when it started. I thought this was a bit odd, so I went to shift into reverse, and there was no grind. Now it works fine except for the clutch grabbing way too high, and the pedal needs to be adjusted back to make it more comfortable. What must have happened is that the clutch must have bonded to the flywheel. I have only had this happen on cars left over the winter. I can't figure it out, but I guess S__T happens

Take care,
Bruce

[niles]

rdorman;

Is that a Cleveland in the blue car?

Bruce; I have experienced the "hanging-stuck" clutch before.

It would always happen on my old Porche when it sat up for long periods of time. It seems that the clutch disc would stick very hard to the flywheel. So much to that if you started it in gear with the clutch engaged it was if it was out. After you would break the "stickion/bond" it would be normal.

gn

[rdorman]

Mine is red with white stripes. Is that what you are asking?

[niles]

RDORMAN:

NO. in your picture galley; there was a blue car and eng. that was the one I was asking about
gn

[rdorman]

There are three pictures under my name, all red with white stripes. When I did a search it also pulled up some other peoples pictures as well but my car is the red with white stripes one, 351C.
Thanks

[niles]

rdorman:

when I pulled up your gallery; evidently there are club pics; the first line has 2 pic of a blue car and 2 of on IRS.

Not your photos; I was interested in the blue eng, because yours in a cleve and I didnt recognise the intake; its probably a windsor if its not yours

thanks anyway

gn

[Jerry Cowing]

rdorman,

A few of the guys have recommended using a drill bit to insert in your shifter arms to insure the shifter stays in neutral during the adjustment of your linkages. When I adjsuted mine, I'm pretty sure there would not have been enough room between my Unique transmission tunnel and the shifter to get a drill bit inserted. I used a plastic "L" shaped tool specifically designed for adjusting Hurst shifters. One side is about 2" long and the other is about 1" long just like an allen wrench. I only had enough room to squeeze the 1" side into my shifter so I doubt I could have used a drill bit unless I bent it into an "L" shape first. It still was a little struggle trying to find that hole and to get the tool inserted. That what my girl friend said anyway.

[mr0077]

Jerry, your girlfriend didn't make you bend your "tool" into an "L" shape to insert it, did she??!!!!?

[niles]

Post a picture of "that tool"
gn

[Jerry Cowing]

Not on your life !!!